Ash trays



Aug. 30, 1960 A. c. ELSWOOD 2,950,723 ASH TRAYS Filed Sept. 3, 1957 INVENTOR. ARTHUR c. ELSWOOD A TTORME'YS Patented Aug. 30, 1960 ASH TRAYS Arthur C. Elswood, 5221 Hemlock St., Sacramento, Calif.

Filed Sept. 3, 1957, Ser. No. 681,678

1 Claim. (Cl. 131-256) This invention provides an ash tray which contains a liquid to aid in extinguishing cigarettes, cigars, and the like.

Although the ash tray of this invention may be used advantageously in a number of locations, it finds particular utility in automobiles.

When a cigarette or cigar is discarded in conventional ash trays now in use, the discarded butt often is improperly extinguished, and continues to Smolder for a considerable time. This not only produces irritating fumes, but it also presents a fire hazard, particularly when a butt is incompletely extinguished in a car ash tray and then thrown from the car while driving through a fire hazard area.

This invention overcomes the above difliculties by providing an ash tray adapted to contain a non-inflammable liquid which insures positive extinguishing of cigarettes, cigars, and the like. Thus, it avoids lingering and irritating fumes from smoldering butts and eliminates the fire hazard presented by incompletely extinguished butts- Briefly, the invention contemplates an ash tray comprising a container and a fluid reservoir. A conduit is connected at one end to the reservoir and opens at its other end into the container. A valve is included in the conduit for controlling the flow of fluid from the reservoir to the container.

Also in the preferred form, the ash tray includes a pair of containers, one of the containers being adapted to receive fluid from the reservoir, and the other serving as a receptacle for extinguished butts.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed descn'ption taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partially broken away, of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a bracket suitable for mounting the pair of containers in accordance with this invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, a pair of open top cylindrical ash trays or containers having hemispherical bottoms are mounted side by side on a Y-shaped bracket 12 adapted to be held in place by screws 14. As viewed in Fig. 1, the left-hand ash tray container is connected by a fluid conduit 16 through a valve 18 to a reservoir 20 which has a sight gauge 22 to indicate the level 23 of a liquid 23A therein. The top of the reservoir includes a cap 24 having a filling line 26 in which is mounted a check valve 28.

Referring to Fig. 2, the fluid line makes a friction fit into a flexible coupling 30 cemented through the bottom portion of the left-hand container. A needle float valve 32 is mounted in the upper end of the coupling and is actuated by a buoyant annular ring 34 secured to the needle float valve by a pivot 36.

As shown in Fig. 3, the right-hand container is of construction identical with that of the container of Fig. 2, except that the fluid conduit, flexible coupling, needle valve, and float ring are omitted. Each of the containers has a dish-shaped top 38 with a central opening 40. Each top makes a friction fit over the upper end of each container. A clip 42 on each container is adapted to engage a separate upright 43 of the bracket when the containers are mounted as shown in Fig. 1.

The fluid used in the reservoir and ash tray can be any suitable non-inflammable, non-toxic material, preferably one with a relatively low vapor pressure. I have found that a solution made of one gallon of water, four pounds of calcium chloride, and one ounce of oil of pine results in liquid which has a suitably low vapor pressure, does not readily freeze, and provides a pleasant scent.

In operation, the reservoir is preferably set so that its liquid level is slightly abovethat of the ash trays. Valve 18 is opened, and liquid flows by gravity into the lefthand container until the buoyant ring is floated to the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2, at which time it closes the float valve and prevents the further entry of fluid into the container. To extinguish a cigarette or cigar, the smoker simply immerses the burning tip in the fluid in the left-hand ash tray and then deposits the cigarette butt in the other ash tray. Preferably, the right-hand ash tray is used for the accumulation of ashes during the smoking of the cigarette or cigar so that the fluid-containing ash tray remains relatively clean. At any time desired, the valve 18 can be closed and the fluid-containing ash tray removed for cleaning by disconnecting the fluid conduit from the coupling and lifting the ash tray off the bracket.

For those installations in which the ash trays need to be mounted above the liquid level in the reservoir, or when the liquid level in the reservoir drops to the level shown in Fig. l, the check valve in the line 26 leading into the top of the fluid reservoir permits the reservoir to be pressured to a slight positive pressure, either by a suitable portable pump (not shown) or by simply blowing into the line 26. The slight positive pressure developed inside the fluid reservoir is then sufficient to raise the fluid to the required level in the ash tray. The reservoir can be filled in any one of several ways. For example, the cap 24 may be a conventional removable cap which is screwed onto the top of the reservoir. Thus, the reservoir is opened and filled by removing the cap 24. In another procedure, liquid is simply forced through check valve 28 and filling line 26 with valve 18 closed. With this procedure, the gas in the reservoir is compressed and furnishes a driving force for moving liquid from the reservoir toward the container 10 when valve 18 is subsequently opened. A third procedure for filling the reservoir is simply to tilt the reservoir 20 on its side so that fluid conduit 16 is at a high point on the reservoir. Valve 18 is opened, and liquid is forced past check valve 28 through filling line 26 into the reservoir. Air or gas is displaced from the reservoir through open valve 18 and fluid conduit 16. Once a suitable quantity of liquid is injected into the reservoir, valve 18 is closed and reservoir 20 is restored to its position shown in Fig. 1. If necessary, air is blown into the reservoir through check valve 28 and filling line 26 to provide positive gas pressure to force liquid from the reservoir to the container, valve 18 being opened.

Thus, with the liquid containing ash tray of this invention, cigarette and cigar butts are cleanly and positively extinguished, eliminating both the fire hazard and the nuisance of irritating fumes which are produced by smoldering butts.

I claim:

An ash tray comprising a container, a closed fluid res.- ervoir constructed and arranged to hold gas under positive pressure, a conduit connected at one end to the interior of a lower portion of the reservoir and connected at the other end to the interior of the container, a line References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Uitto July 17, 1934 Ausbrooks July 31, 1934 Webber Dec. 13, 1955 Webber Dec. 25, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany July 21, 1924 r E l S t 

